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My brother and his wife come here sometimes once a week, and I'm glad I finally tagged along.
Ambiance: This place is quite small, with not a lot of seating. Expect to either wait, or be crammed in with another table. We usually come here at odd hours to beat the crowd.
Service: The staff here literally come and go - sometimes, they aren't there. I have been in situations where it is just the owner by himself taking orders, serving, processing bills AND helping in the kitchen. When that occurs, expect to wait while he juggles everything. The owner man though, is always super nice. Friendly, and always willingly to drop by to check on you, and share some niceties. He's quite personable and funny.
Value: For the price of the bentos, you get a load of food. Those are the best deals. Also, they have a daily menu that changes spending on what they have in stock - make sure to check the chalk board at the front.
Food: Even when there is a rush, I am surprised by the presentation - it's always neat and taken care of. Their sashimi is fresh as can be, and I like the zesty dressing that comes with their green salad. Also, most bentos come with a mound of tasty potato salad - yum!
Though most of what they serve is very typical 'safe' Japanese fare, it's done well and with care. With the good prices and the friendly atmosphere, it's hard not to keep coming back. Maybe not once a week for me, but often.
Looking for a new neighbourhood Japanese restaurant because our regular joint has closed and moved (all the way out to West Vancouver), so we decided to try this place. It's your proverbial hole-in-the-wall eatery. The interior resembles a church basement where tables and chairs of various styles are placed together solely for the purpose of eating. But we didn't come for the furnishings.
Between the four of us, we ordered: agedashi tofu, gyoza, chicken kara-age, sockeye salmon sashimi, rainbow roll, dynamite roll, hamachi, chicken teriyaki and salmon teriyaki. Everything was great! The chicken kara-age actually had more meat on it than batter and most importantly, not dried. Both teriyaki dishes were good and not overcooked as some places tend to do. The service was very good as our tea cups were always filled.
It's a small eatery so you may want to make a reservation. We got lucky when we walked in but did notice there were already "reservation" signs on a couple of tables. Can't wait to come back and try their tempura and other dishes. This place gets our vote - four thumbs up!
Service:
They have a older waitress (skinny build) who has no reason to be in the service industry. We had a table reserved for 5 and they seated us in the middle table. The waitress says the 5 chair is in her way and I noticed that another table in the corner (also reserved) was free. She barks back that table especially requested that area. This response of course was ridiculous since I can only imagine at a restaurant where there was view or a patio would someone actually reserve a specific table. I ask for the bill and I have to wait 15 mins and then I go up to her till with my debit card. She goes " you are in my way." I said to her "I want to leave but you wont take my bill" No thank you. No apologies. We have never returned since that experience.
Declining quality
When they first opened, they were one of the first decent quality sushi places in the neighbourhood. Recently I noticed some declining quality. For example the volcano roll used to be garnished in deep fried shredded yam. Now it's ketchup flavored potato chips. Their california rolls are hit and miss. If you get a premade one that was made earlier you get a stale roll.
Never noticed this place driving by, but found it had good reviews so decided to give it a try. It was small, and we were the only people in the restaurant the whole time we were there (on a Sunday afternoon). How refreshing to find a japanese restaurant that's actually run by japanese people. The service was quick - to be expected since we were the only customers. The lunch deals were very reasonable, I had a bento box and my partner had a lunch combination with sushi and unagi don, both meals were under $10 each. Everything tasted really fresh. I will definitely return, a great find in an unexpected area. They only take cash or debit though, no credit cards.
For us, this almost qualifies as "middle-of-nowhere". We went on a snowy day so initially, we were the only table on that week night.
Place seems family run (and they are Japanese). Service is okay, no complaints. Expect "family" type service I guess!
I was pleasantly pleased to see that they put a lot of effort into decorating the place (....I would say atypical of most Chinese run places). Not super fancy, but I wouldn't be embarassed to see this in Yaletown.
Slightly disappointed to see the menu is almost "standard" Vancouver sushi type fare. I guess I was hoping for something a little more unique. The actual food more than redeemed them. Quality was very good. They also had some very inventive sushi rolls, but what pushed it over the top was the presentation and care, which is quite different than any other place in town we've seen!
Hmmm.... dilemma here. Place left me feeling quite good about them. But is there something super unique to make it worth a trip? Maybe one trip. What is less ambiguous is that there is no other place anywhere nearby that is as good. I'll give it at least a one thumb up recommendation. It's certainly not an expensive trial at any rate.
My husband, daughter and I went to this place for dinner on Saturday night due to the reviews on dinehere.ca. Very small place and very clean. We ordered the dinner special for two ($24.95), deep fried California Roll and edamame. The dinner special came with Miso soup, noodle dish in the sweet vinegar sauce, small order of tempura (2 prawns and about 6 pieces of vegetables), California roll, 4 pieces of nigiri, two bowls of rice, small order of teriyaki beef (other options - chicken and tofu) with a small side salad. I thought it was a great deal for all the food!! The deep fried California roll was delicious but found it pricey (I think it was $5) for what you got. The teriyaki beef was the best I've ever had. Not too sweet and no artificial flavour!
Service was pretty good . . . did ask for tea a couple of times, eventhough the restaurant was busy but not full to capacity. We did get greeted right away and that was a nice touch.
Value was very good.
Ambience was good too. Tables were a bit tight but not too bad. (A little girl at the next table coughed without covering her mouth a couple of times - which was annoying - especially with so many illnesses going around!)
Cost for dinner was just over $40 for the three of us (1 beer too) so thought it was a pretty good deal! Definitely will go back!
I found this place through a friend. It was apparently a sushi joint that I "MUST TRY". He was right. It was awesome.
I tried the Volcano Roll and the Paradise Roll. OUTSTANDING. The sashimi was very fresh. Although I paid more than the usually mediocre sushi joints, but well worth the money. Very authentic japanese food.
The service there was outstanding too. Very polite japanese waitress.
The food is very good here, especially the tempura - the batter is so light and delicate. I also enjoy their rolls and sushi. The ingredients are fresh and the presentation beautiful. The service, however, is very, very slow. The server is nice and friendly, but with a full house plus a stream of customers ordering take-out, the service suffers. I hope they seriously consider hiring another server on busy days.
Had lunch here once and dinner here twice in the last 2 months. The lunch menu are a really good value, but be warned they don't open until 1pm for "lunch".
Fish seems fresh, and their chicken udon noodle soup I found particularly good for lunch. Had their chirasi and I would have to say it is one of the better ones I have had. They actually seem to rotate their specials, and have been happy with their tempera as well as their bbq fish dishes as well.
I would say the value is really there for lunch and not as much for dinner, though certainly not overpriced.
Its nice and clean looking inside. Service was very friendly, but with limited english. Service was good. Will definitely be back again.
Even though this place has been in my neighborhood for years I never once ate in there cause I thought of their pricing to be more expensive and my sister told me that their rolls are quite small in portion. One day I got a take out of their Makoto Roll, Crispy California Roll and Dynamite Roll. It was indeed 'small portion' just like my sis described for the price it costs. The taste was not bad. It's not fantastic but not bad. I find the rice on their rolls to be mostly sticky and a bit mushy, like it's all stuck together and not in individual bits. I suppose that's the Japanese style of making rolls that way? Anyways overall the food I ordered was OK only, and for the price I paid for it I wasn't impressed at all.
It wasn't until I ordered their box lunch the other day; I ordered their Box B ($10.50); When the food came I was thoroughly pleased by the arrangement and portion. It had an assortment of Tempura (2 prawn, 4 veggies), a half portion of Chicken Teriyaki (There was a choice of Chicken or Beef, I chose Chicken.) and a bowl of rice, 3 pieces of California Roll and a salmon and tuna nigiri, a regular veggie salad, potato salad, a piece of orange and a bowl of Miso soup. Isn't that plenty? I enjoyed every single dish in this Box! Well besides the California Rolls cause I still think it's average compared to some I've tried. The chicken was tender and browned beautifully by the cooking and the Tempura was crispy yet not greasy at all. The salads were also refreshing, and the orange was so sweet and delicious that I think they must have spent a lot of effort eye picking it! I was pretty full by the time I finished the whole thing and I was totally satisfied. I think this is probably their best valued item on the menu, and it was indeed good value. If you ever come here definitely try out the box.
This small restaurant is run by actual Japanese people, unlike most others which are run by Korean or Chinese. And I think it is family operated given the small amount of staff they have and the fact that they all speak Japanese. The lack of staff means their service may not be too great. The last time I went there was only the chef standing at the counter greeting guests and taking orders. Even though there wasn't too many people he was so occupied that he even forgot to take one table's order, the guests had to walk up to him to give him their orders. I personally don't really mind the service quality though. As long as the food is good, that's good enough for me. :)
I love Sushi and have spent time in Japan eating copious amounts. I love this restaurant.The food is outstanding for Vancouver as compared to what you get in Japan. The service is not great and a bit slow, but the food is certainly worth the wait. The soybean wraps are good, the rolls are excellent and the fish is always fresh and prepared well. The tea is always hot even if you need to ask for a refill once in a while. Great little place near my house. I will certainly be going there many more times.I recommend reservations if you have more than 4 people or on the weekend evenings as Makoto can fill up quite quickly.
After reading all the reviews here, I decided to give Makoto a try! And I am so happy that I did!! Thank you all for the recommendations!
Went there on a Friday night, at around 5:30pm, shortly after it was opened. The restaurant was small and cozy, neat and clean. We were greeted right away as we walked in and seated at a table near the window. The server was friendly and efficient. We ordered an assorted tempura, some salmon, ika, and ikura nigiri sushi, and also a makoto roll. The tempura came out first and it was nicely fried and not too greasy. Then the nigiri sushi came, and they were outstanding. Unlike the Korean style Japanese sushi, these sushi were much more delicate in terms of the softness of the rice, and also how hard they squeeze the rice. In another word, absolutely very authentic. The roll is also very outstanding, very delicious and well-presented. We were really happy and satisfied with the meal.
Will definitely go back again and again!!
My husband only likes going to places with authentic japanese chef. Luckily he found this place thru a blog. We are now regulars. The tempura is always a nice light yellow color and not dark which is an indication of the freshness of oil. The batter is not like 60%+ thick like typical japanese places. They actually use a larger size prawn so it's not just eating a thick coat of batter. Although the rice consistency varies in stickiness it's a small issue I overlook for the overall quality and value. The beef teriyaki is cooked with sweet teriyaki sauce as I like it. The sashimi is always fresh and excellent. The downside is the service can be slow as they cook everything fresh if the place is bustling. I've always found the servers to be very courteous as japanese people often are. They do take out too.
Anyone looking for authentic Japanese food? This is the place to go. My hubby and I have eaten here twice and both times food was fantastic. I like the fact that it's Japanese owned and the staff/owner takes pride in preparing their food. Not only the food was delicious, but the overall presentation of their food. Hence, I gave it a 4 rating.
The service could of been better. The young waiter was slow to bring the menu and fill our teacups. But overall, it wasn't bad.
Their price and portions are just right. I thought their value was great. BTW, you must try out their Paradise roll, its soooo good!!
Makoto is not a big restaurant, but its clean and cozy. Their washroom are clean, I really like their faucet.
A definite return trip.
Makoto became our new go to spot after the first time we tried it! It's a small Japanese family run place and due to the limited seating capacity (about 20 people) and the proximity to our home, we generally got our food to go.
But oh- what food! Their sushi is outstanding and always looks amazing. The chef is obviously talented and enjoys his work. Even when we opened our little take out boxes at home, we were always blown away by how beautiful the food looked. The salmon sashimi was once presented as rose buds! Absolutely charming.
The prices here are probably higher than those you would expect to pay at a local small sushi place, but I always believe that you should pay for quality and at Makoto - you definitely are.
The interior is very cool - lots of black lacquered wood, cute little vases and a very unique bar made from a tree trunk I believe.
The service, when dining in, is pretty good. But I always maintain that one never goes to a sushi place for the service- they go for the food. The wait staff could probably need augmentation - like 1 more - but I don't think the owners will be having any more children :0)
I will definitely stop in for something yummy (try their very unique Volcano roll - actually looks like one) whenever I am in Burnaby again.
We are fans of Japanese food and during the past 15 years had at least a thousand meals in japanese restaurants not only in Vancouver but around the world. That doesn't make us experts, of course, but we have good comparison base.
Here it goes:
Food: some interesting items: volcano roll presented in an interesting way, but it was strangely sticky and drizzled with something which looked like a content of digestive system of de-veined prawn (later we discovered it was black sesamee sauce).
Sashimi salad - try Nikko Sushi in Langley and you will know what it SHOULD taste like.
Seafod Motoyaki - drowned in mayo, too sweet and sour. The best motoyaki so far is to be had in Tokyo Ichiban in Richmond.
Agedashi Tofu was great - delicate inside, crispy outside, sauce was just right. However, the bonito was NOT THERE.
Toro Sashimi was fresh and heavenly.
Ebi gyoza - where is the ebi? it tasted like ground cabbage!
Steak - we ordered but they forgot to serve it.
Overall, while fresh, food was mediocre.
SERVICE:
We were greeted and ignored for about 5 minutes.
Eventually, after waving several times, we got noticed and were offered the menus.
Dishes came at normal-to-slow pace.
The steak we ordered was never served, which was just as well as we weren't hungry any more.
We had to remind the server about the tea.
The waiter, while smiling and polite, had a habit of bringing the next dish but never clearing the old ones - they just kept piling on the table.
Ambiance - casual bistro in a working neighbourhood, only 25 or so chairs crowded inside a space with capacity for 15. Every time the door opened, the cold blas of air was felt.
Food: The sashimi was very fresh and in the right proportion. Tempura is deep fried to perfection. The food is highly recommended.
Service: There was only one server but the server was speedy and polite. My tea was constantly filled.
Value: The lunch combination is a great deal but some of the other items on the menu are priced a bit higher. However, very worth it for the fresh and delicious food.
Ambiance: It's a small restaurant with around 7 tables and some seats by the sushi bar. There was interesting Japanese music playing. It's a very relaxing place to eat at.
My new fave sushi joint (and trust me, I am an avid searcher of great sushi...esp. places that feature innovative/creative/specialty rolls). This is a relatively new place, from what I've heard, but the restaurant is in dire need of another server...or 2. Favourite rolls include: the Paradise roll (BEST mango one I have yet to try), Dragon (excellent as usual), and Catepillar. Their cooked food is just mediocre.
I visited this restaurant for the first time on my birthday and it was exceptional! The look of the small restaurant is wonderful! Although I only encountered one staff member, she was very kind. The serving portions are good sizes and the quality of the food was amazing. Our favorite was the seafood teriyaki that came on a beautiful large dish with rice, salad, potato salad, scallops, salmon, prawns, and another type of fish. 6 of us ate for only $80 and we were filled up. Seating capacity is approx. 20 - 25. I highly recommend this place to all sushi lovers!
I visited Makoto twice for lunch. Had Ramen noodle, and special Sushi rolls, and they were over my expectation. I am Japanese, and I assure that their “Japanese” food is a good one. I am especially impressed with their presentation for their Sushi. My boyfriend and I had three delicious Sushi rolls (Paradise, Dragon, Volcano), and the platter was decollated with beautiful rose shaped carrots and radishes. Service was friendly both times, and interior was clean and sensible. The small appetizer on house was also tasty.
This restaurant definitely got a “wow” value for the price.
| 1. | Kimi Sushi Japanese Restaurant (0 m) |  |
| 2. | BJ Bakery (12 m) |  |
| 3. | Asa Sushi (16 m) |  |
| 4. | Georgio's Cafe (24 m) | |
| 5. | Elite Bakery (26 m) | |
| 6. | Wen Xin Chinese Restaurant (28 m) |  |
| 7. | Sasaya Bistro (48 m) | |
| 8. | Pizza Factory (57 m) | |
| 9. | Sunflower Cafe (70 m) | |
| 10. | Subway (73 m) |
